Best of luck, BJ!
I was talking on and off the past couple days with B.J. Mullins’ agent to see what BJ would be doing on draft night. As of 4 o’clock draft day, they still didn’t know. While countless draft hopefuls were on national tv and talking about their hopes and excitement for the draft, BJ was nowhere to be found. In fact despite numerous requests, we never talked to BJ one time since he left OSU. He went a little underground. In fact yesterday I talked to a former teammate of his who told me BJ didn’t want to talk to anyone… I mean anyone until after the draft. Just on appearances, not the most confident of characters about to live out a lifelong dream.
It all just seemed…. weird. A guy who should be celebrating and enjoying cheers from across the region and state was instead nowhere to be found. From what I understand, that’s more his style… but when you earn the NBA millions, it comes with a spotlight and attention that you must learn to handle.
Having said all that…. I’m really pulling for BJ to prove many, many people wrong. He’s headed to a team that needs serious help in Oklahoma City, and BJ will get a chance play early despite his youth. Is he NBA ready? Of course not!! If you can’t start for a college team, you’re not ready. But I see what NBA scouts see. POTENTIAL!! You can’t coach his size, and his skill level surprises people. If he gets bigger and stronger, which I’m certain he will, he could become a strong NBA talent. Ohio State fans, as I hear them, are tired of players leaving school early without lending much to the school. That would be the case with BJ… he could’ve become an elite pick with at least one more year in school. But it’s hard to argue that he made the wrong decision—he was a first round pick!!
And I make this point. He’s lived through a very tough childhood in Columbus. Extreme poverty, frequently moving and bad adult influences all stood in his way. Yet, here he is. He’ll sign a significantly lucrative first contract and can likely help his family get some relief for their situation. Let’s just hope he has good people around him to build a smart future.
